The obesity survival paradox and melanoma-related mortality

ABSTRACT Melanoma is an increasingly common skin cancer with approximately 200,000 new cases discovered annually worldwide. This article seeks to estimate the relationships between mortality rate from melanoma, prevalence of obesity and annual new melanoma cases per 100,000 persons in the population. By way of doing so, it uses a quadratic model to examine the possibility of the obesity survival paradox, namely, the counter-intuitive possibility that a higher prevalence of obesity reduces the mortality risk from melanoma. The outcomes support a non-monotonic relationship, with implications for treatment decisions regarding melanoma patients who are obese versus those with a normal weight (BMI < 25).